Potential role of mycosterols in hyperlipidemia – A review.

Cardiovascular diseases associated with obesity are alarmingly increasing in both developed and developing
countries. Obesity is mainly ascribed to higher lipid accumulation in the body. There are several simple approaches to treat this condition like lifestyle modification, dietary intervention, physical activities, drug treatment etc. There are many drugs available in the market to treat hyperlipidemia condition, but those drugs have
many fatal adverse effects on human health. In view of this, it is reasonable to suggest some preventive measures
by functional food ingredients as human health has acclimatized to these since thousands of years. Phytosterols
have been studied since decades for its hypocholesterolemic effect in human nutrition. Although the mycosterols
from fungi are still under- exploited, ergosterol and derivatives from fungal source have promising health
beneficial effects in obesity associated cardiovascular diseases. This review aims to summarise the investigations
on mycosterol with respect to obesity in the last decade and also scope of future research on its application in
functional food supplements.